The same goes for parents who complain about education and don’t do the simplest thing such as join the PTA or volunteer in their children school. If you want a better education for your child you have to be willing to fight for it. To put in some actual “ TIME. Too many lazy parents out there today who want MORE yet they don’t want to help.

You also have to be willing to VOTE out the people you feel are NOT doing what is best for your child. It’s not hard, You show up at the school board meetings tell them what you would like to see changed, a way you feel it can be done and then let them know, they work for YOU!

Having said that I feel I should also remind you that sometimes you have to do this in a positive manner, threats really get you no where. Being a positive force will help you so much more. But, at least be there and try.

I have always been a member of the PTA, Family Readiness, and yes I have taken the AFTB classes.

I was talking to some parents at school recently and one ladies comment about my taking a break really did tick me off!

" How can you tell them no and take a break?”

While in Alaska I was the PTA President and on the board for 3 years. At this school I served count them 4 different positions in ONE year. I have done this for 2 years. Not to mention being on the board of the Enlisted Spouse Club where I also served in 3 positions for 2 years.

My husband is in Saudi and I still completed my obligations to all. Now I am saying NO. I asked the lady who asked me “ How I could take a break?” what she had been doing the past few years.

Her reply” Well I didn’t know they needed any help”

My reply” When was the last time you asked?”.

Conversation ended there.

It is a shame actually that people get so burnt out, if everyone did just a little to help no one would be brunt out. Every one would benefit!

Yearbook Time

Let me start with a “ Thank you” to those who have emailed to check up on the girls and I. I am sorry I didn’t update sooner. We are fine.

It’s Yearbook time again. I have been so involved with planning and working on it that other then my usual home stuff I just didn’t have any extra time.

I had planned on handing yearbook to some else when school ended this year but I doubt I will now. The only person who has shown an interest in taking it over is a woman I just can’t stand. She is one of those people that will adjust everything so that her child is the center of any and everything.

4 years ago when we arrived here the yearbooks were $25.00. I was shocked. One day the principal asked if I had purchased the girls yearbooks. I told her not at that price. She asked if I had a better way so that it could be cheaper? Of course I said and there you have it, I got the “job” of yearbook,with a selling price of $10.00 per book.

Before I got the “job”( It’s a volunteer job.”) the staff did it. They hated it. I hear it every year “ Thank god you’re doing it we hated it!”. They had even talked about not doing a yearbook.

I believe the students should be part of the process; after all it is all about them. I also believe ALL, the students can participate. So the first year I set out to just get the students use to being a part of a team working on collages, and when I invited the students, I invited the parents. It’s a great ploy to get parents to volunteers, tell them their child has been chosen to be the class rep for their class, how special it is they were chosen, and if they wanted to “join” them they were welcome. Worked like a charm and in the process I ended up with a staff.

Then I moved on to the kids not only creating the pages but also proofing, and deciding page placement. Of course the parents are always invited. This year I took a big risk and I gave the cameras to the students. I thought it would be good for them to use their artwork to make the collages. Yes, all of them Kindergarten –5th grade. Many teachers think I have lost my mind. Honestly I may have but I am also very interested to see what they come up with. I can’t help but think that seeing the world through a child’s perspective will make our yearbook something special.

The parent who wants to take over yearbook, she wants only 4th and 5th grade to participate and to make color pages. Colors pages add $2.50 more to each yearbook per color page. She wants 3 color pages. Which means many of our students couldn’t afford a yearbook.

I don’t think so!

So I will be the yearbook lady another year. Its ok wait to you read my next blog entree I has to do with the words, PTA and NO. You are going to be proud.

37 Days

In 37 days my husband will be home! He is coming home for 3 weeks. Papers have been signed, plane reservations made. I had wanted to keep it from the girls in case something changed after all this is the Army, but he was so excited he told them. I will admit at first I was really upset with him. But I understand why he did it. I can’t imagine how hard it is on him to be gone from us, so being able to give the girls awesome news made his year!Our girls will have 3 date nights with their dad and they are already planning them.

My husband is coming home!!!I will wake up everyday for 3 weeks with him next too me. God I can’t wait to hold him again. My husband is coming home, I can't believe it.

Dear god please,please let this really happen. No changes, no problems. Please let us have these 3 weeks.

Sunday, January 16

Tsunami Aid

I know I don’t have to tell you how horrible it is for all the countries hit by the tsunami, and I am sure you have plenty of news articles to read up on it.

Our schools are fundraising for the tsunami; Alyssa came out of her room and said “Mom I am going to give the $20.00 dollars grandma left to the aid relief. I don’t need another toy or CD, they have nothing.” I am so glad she gets it.

They will remain in our prayers. And of course if you can afford to give please do!

Momma Said There Would Be Days Like This!

On Thursday we( as in our entire school and surrounding schools)spent 1-½ hours in the tornado positions. Considering the attention span of our students is at the most 15 min it was something to see. I never knew I could sing, “twinkle star” that long. They sky and the weather honestly had me thinking this is it. We are going to at least have one tornado in our area. In the past I was really ok with the fact we were at school and both the girls were there. But now Alyssa is at the middle school and I was near tears worrying how I would get to her if anything did happen. No bigger fear as a mother then knowing something horrible has happened and you can’t be there with your child.

I came home to find that Gunter had been sick from the sirens. Whenever the sirens go off he is the first one to jump on the bed and need a hug (big damn baby) so I thought at the most he would have gotten sick from a nervous stomach. Not this time, there nothing like walking in the door to have the smell of doggy diarrhea hit you in the face!!!!

It seems whenever Gunter has these episodes (and they are few and FAR between) he does it in the same spot in Alyssa’s room. I cleaned the carpet up and realize some had splattered (nice I know) onto the bottom of Alyssa’s new Auburn comforter, So I toss that in the washer and get the little green machine (which is worth every last dime do you hear me EVERY DIME!!!) clean the carpet walk into the kitchen to find the washer had flooded onto the floor.

Lets face it at moments like this you either laugh or you go insane.

Get the water cleaned up, allow Gunter back in the house …he is now full of mud; clean him off go to my room to shower. I see what I thought was mud on my bed. I rubbed it to see how wet it was….it wasn’t mud. Seems Gunter had some poop still on him and he climbed on my bed to lie down. somewhere at sometime in my life I pissed god off big-time!! For this I am truly sorry and I promise to never do it again.

Wednesday, January 5

Back To Normal

School is back and things here seem to be getting back to normal. I was a little worried the girls would have a hard time adjusting to all the company leaving.

Not such much Alyssa but, Lin. She always seems to have a hard time saying good-bye. On Saturday she asked if she h ad to go to the train station to say goodbye? We decided that she could say goodbye Saturday night and go to church with her best friend on Sunday instead.

Alyssa was my traveling buddy. She hates goodbyes as much as anyone but she adjusts better.

We went back to Tea Kwon Do classes last night. Lets just say “ OUCH”. My body was not happy. I am actually not as sore as I thought I would be today. My thumb is killing me, it got jammed when my partner was doing her round house and hit my hand.

There is a glimmer of hope that Rob will be coming home in March for his R&R. If he does he should be here at the same time of Lindsey’s Class trip to Williamsburg VA. Lindsey and I would be gone a week then return in time for Spring Break. Figures right!

Once we know he is coming I may go ahead and pay for all 4 of us to go on the trip. It would mean a week out of school for Alyssa, which is a major draw back. I will need to have a conference with her teachers and principal.

Well see, first he has to get the R&R date and a confirmed flight here!

Saturday, January 1

2005

The girls and I found out how truly blessed we are to have so many wonderful, loving, and supportive people in our lives.

The girls grew more then I every dreamed. This year I have to say that Alyssa has changed the most. She went from a little girl to a young lady almost over night.

I pray the lord watches over our loved ones, our friends, and their families in 2005, that he keeps our service member’s out of harms way and reunite with their families. May all have many wonderful blessings.